It is now in law that all NHS providers and CQC-regulated social care employers, must ensure staff receive training that covers the Core Capabilities Frameworks for Learning Disability and Autism. The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training (OMMT) in learning disability and autism is the government’s preferred model for meeting this requirement. 

Please click the links below for more resources and information:

A key aspect of OMMT is that it is co-designed and co-delivered by experts with lived experience of learning disability and autism, who share their experiences and expertise. 

The training is named for Oliver McGowan, a young autistic man with a learning disability, who died a potentially avoidable death. Oliver’s story is a starting point: evidence shows that people with a learning disability and autistic people experience on average, significantly poorer healthcare and health outcomes, often in potentially preventable ways. 

All staff must complete the E-Learning before then accessing either Tier 1 or Tier 2 training. 

Tier 2 Oliver McGowan Mandatory training is for staff who work directly with patients or customers. It covers Learning Disability and Autism in greater depth and provides more time to understand key data relating to health outcomes, areas of national focus, and discuss context-specific reasonable adjustments and practice. 

It is a full day face-to-face classroom session, and covers: 

  • Understanding the lives and experiences of people with a Learning Disability and Autistic people 

  • Understanding more about what Learning Disability is, and what Autism is 

  • Reflecting on own values, beliefs and biases. 

  • Exploring factors which impact on the quality of care, support and outcomes for people with a Learning Disability and Autistic people 

  • Examining evidence and areas of focus from the Learning from Lives and Deaths reviews (LeDeR)  

  • Know what reasonable adjustments are and which reasonable adjustments might make a difference 

  • Being aware of the legislation that underpins the learning and expected good practice. 

  • SYICB have commissioned a local partner, Speakup Self Advocacy, to support the delivery of the training in South Yorkshire. https://www.speakup.org.uk/  

  • Speakup are specialists with decades of experience in supporting and employing people with Learning Disabilities and Autistic people.  

  • SYICB have provided training and ongoing support for Speakup. Facilitating trainers are existing Speakup staff and ICB staff, as well as some from local authorities who are training their own colleagues. 

  • All training is co-delivered by a facilitator, and two experts with lived experience of Learning Disability and Autism. Currently, all of the experts with lived experience are employed via Speakup.  

  • NHS England’s aim is to train 1/3 of workforce per year, with a refresh every 3 years for each colleague. 

  • From May 2024, NHS England expect to transition to a ‘business as usual’ approach, and so it will be important for employers to consider how they will move to this mode of delivery. Ahead of this, some organisations have identified colleagues with the appropriate experience and qualifications to be trained to work as facilitating trainers. 

  • We are training staff from NHS Trusts, CQC-regulated Local Authority providers. We also have some capacity to train staff from private providers who supply staff to the NHS, where having this training will benefit their work in the NHS. 

LeDeR

The LeDeR programme, funded by NHS England and NHS Improvement, was established in 2017 to improve healthcare for people with a learning disability and autistic people. LeDeR aims to: 

  • Improve care for people with a learning disability and autistic people. 
  • Reduce health inequalities for people with a learning disability and autistic people. 
  • Prevent people with a learning disability and autistic people from early deaths. 

LeDeR summarises the lives and deaths of people with a learning disability and autistic people who died in England in annual reports.

https://www.kcl.ac.uk/research/leder 

Learning from lives and deaths – People with a learning disability and autistic people (LeDeR) :: South Yorkshire I.C.B

Mencap Mythbusters 

https://www.mencap.org.uk/about-us/mythbusters 

Beyond Words

https://booksbeyondwords.co.uk/  

Easy on the I

https://www.learningdisabilityservice-leeds.nhs.uk/easy-on-the-i/  

Dying for a Poo – The Bowel Interest Group 

https://bowelinterestgroup.co.uk/news/dying-for-a-poo/ 

Annette’s Charter 

Annette’s charter – Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH) 

Autistica Briefings 

We develop Autistica briefings on numerous topics with emerging evidence or opportunities for policy change.  

The Autistica briefings summarise what know from research, what we still need to find out and what can be done now to improve the lives of autistic people. We prioritise topics that are community priorities. 

Each briefing is reviewed by leading researchers, autistic people and families with lived experience relevant to the topic.

https://www.autistica.org.uk/our-research/policy-recommendations-briefings 

Autism and Intersectionality – National Autistic Society 

https://www.autism.org.uk/what-we-do/scotland/embrace-autism/identity-and-intersectionality 

National Autistic Society and Mind: Good practice guide

This aims to help mental health professionals adapt talking therapies for autistic adults and children. 

https://www.autism.org.uk/shop/products/books-and-resources/good-practice-guide 

Royal College of Psychiatrists – Autism and Mental Health 

https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mental-health/mental-illnesses-and-mental-health-problems/autism-and-mental-health 

SOHAS (Sheffield Occupational Health Advisory Service)

https://www.sohas.co.uk/  /  How to refer - Sheffield Occupational Health Advisory Service 

SUDEP – My Life With Epilepsy 

The My Life with Epilepsy project provides leaflets and videos for people with a learning disability and autistic people with epilepsy, along with their families & carers 

https://sudep.org/epilepsy-safety/learning-disability-resources/  

Click on the link below for details about local organisations and information:

Local organisations 

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Contacts:

Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust 

Contacts:

Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Contacts:

Doncaster & Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 

Contacts: